EMERGENCE
Emergence is a series of six ceramic sculptures that explore the space between birth and decay. Each work begins with pieces of clay that are attached to a clay base, folded over one another, torn apart and built up again. The forms develop through this repeated process of adding, breaking and reshaping.
The resulting surfaces are rough and irregular, with layers that resemble crusts, skins, growths or other forms found in nature. Rather than being modelled into a predetermined shape, the sculptures retain traces of the actions that produced them. The making becomes visible in the final form.
The surfaces are finished with iron and copper oxides. During firing, the different glazes react and flow into one another. Some areas become glossy and deep in colour, while others remain lighter and matt.
By hanging these crawling objects against the wall, they get a new face. Like a portraits that show themselves in different layers, depending on the way they are perceived.
Emergence shows formation and time as an ongoing process: growth is never separate from breakdown, and every new layer is built from what came before.